Saturday, 20 June 2015

Beside many others Ad Reinhardt
"accompanied" me for many years during the 1970ies and 80ies.

I liked his paintings from the 1950ies and early 60ies
as well as his cartoons and writings.

In the late years of his life his paintings became
black: “no realism, no impressionism, no expressionism… no texture, no
brushwork, no sketching or drawing, no forms, no designs, no calm, no light, no
space, no time, no size or scale, no movement, no object, no subject.”

A great challenge and opportunity for a new start in
my view. My painting from 1993 is a selfportrait. It's me in
the studio, watching the change of light and colors on a sunny afternoon.

Monday, 8 June 2015

‘The View of Delft’ by Vermeer possesses the freshness of sunshine after
rain and although it was his hometown, for me it has all the visual excitement
of venturing into a place for the very first time.

My watercolour ‘view of Antwerp from south of the river’ was painted
with a nod to Vermeer’s great work, during my first walk into that city. The
light, skyline and river were too enticing to pass by without recording that
particular, never to be repeated moment, a moment of anticipation.

When working out in the open in this way I find the process and urgency
of decisions – where to begin – what to leave out - the scale of mark - happen
so quickly as to be almost beyond thought. As instinct kicks in - the
accumulation of decisions crystallize into the painting.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

A blog where invited artists show that they stand in a tradition by expressing their commitment to an inspiring, no longer living predecessor. Nothing But Good Should Be Said Of The Dead.
A blog by Michael de Kok, René Korten and Reinoud van Vught.